Bottle-stopper



(No Model.) I

F. T. ROBINSON. BOTTLE STOPPER.

' No. 599,112. Patented Feb. 15, 1898.

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- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK T. ROBINSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOTTLE-STOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,112, dated February 15,1898.

' Application filed Novmberll, 1895. amino. 568,517. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK T. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Stoppers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to that class of bottle-stoppers that are intended to prevent the fraudulent refilling of bottles and other packages that have once been legitimately filled with liquors of established reputation. In many stoppers of this class there is a valve, a ring secured in the neck of the bottle and having upon its top a seat for the valve, and a part, hereinafter called a baffle, located above the valve-seat ring for preventing access to the valve.

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective means for securing together the valve-seat ring and bafile, and this objectI accomplish byproviding each of them with portions that fit against the inner surface of the neck of the bottle, and I provide each of these portions with two or more perforations, the perforations of one being arranged opposite the perforations of the other, so as to be in positions to receive the legs of metallic staples, the backs of which are received within grooves formed in the outer surfaces of said perforated portions.

Another object of the invention is to pro-- vide improved means for securing the stopper in place in the neck of the bottle, and this object I accomplish by providing the stopper and the neck of the bottle with circumferential grooves, which when the stopper is in place are opposite each other, andin these grooves I place an elastic ring which breaks I the joint between the stopper and the neck of the bottle, and I arrange in the groove of the stopper, within the elastic ring, a metallic spring-ring so constructed that it has a con- I the valve what is hereinafter termed a pendent strut, being a strut whose upper end is loosely supported and whose lower end is free to swing in all directions and is in close proximity to the top of the valve when the bottle is in upright position,

Belonging to the genus above named there is a species of stopper in which there is a ring having upon its top side a valve-seat, a valve located above the valve-seat ring, a weight located below the valve-seat ring, and a flexible connection between the valve and weight. The invention relates in part to stoppers of this species; and the obj ect of this part of the invention is, generally stated, to improve their construction.

To these ends the invention consists in the features of novelty that are particularly pointed out in the claims hereinafter, and in order that it may be fully understood I will describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this specification, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the upper portion of a bottle and of a stopper embodying the invention in place therein, the parts being shown in the positions that they occupy when the bottle is in upright position. Fig. 2 is 'a similar section of the same parts, showing them by full lines in the positions that they occupy when the bottle is tipped almost to pouring position and by dotted lines in the positions that they occupy after the pouring position is reached. Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections thereof on the lines 3 3 and at 4:, respectively, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a View of the spring-ring used for assisting in holding the stopper in place in the neck of the bottle.

A represents the neck of the bottle; B, a ring hereinafter called the F valve-seat ring; 0, a valve located above the valve-seat ring, and D a part, hereinafter called the baffle, located above the valve. The neck of the bottle is provided on its interior with a circumferential groove which when the stopper is in place is opposite a corresponding groove in the valve seat ring. Arranged in the groove of the valve-seat ringis an open springring E, so constructed that it has a constant tendency to expand circumferentially, said ring being preferably of about semicircular shape incross-section and provided in its edges with kerfs or cuts 6, ithout which it pm from being withdrawn.

would not be of sufficient flexibility, owing to its cross-sectional shape. Within the hollow of this ring and surrounding it is an elastic ring F, which projects into the groove in the neck of the bottle and serves the double purpose of a gasket for preventing leakage past the stopper and means for preventing the stop- It is of course possible to destroy the ring by 'means of acids, and it is in order to guard against this that the metallic spring-ring E is provided. So long as the elastic ring F remains intact it will confine the metallic ring to the groove of the stopper; but as soon as the elastic ring disintegrates the expansive force of the metallic ring will cause it to project partly beyond the groove in the stopper and enter the groove in the neck of the bottle, and thus prevent the stopper from being withdrawn.

As shown in the drawings, the valve-seat ring is provided on its top side with an annular flange b, and the baffle is provided on its under side with an annular flange (Z, which flanges are equal in external dimensions to the internal dimensions of the neck of the bottle, so that they fit snugly. The flanges come together and result in a chamber X, in which the valve 0 is located. In order to secure the baffle to the valve-seat ring, these flanges are provided with perforations properly arranged for receiving the legs of staples G, the backs of which staples fit in grooves or depressions formed for them in'the flanges. These grooves or depressions are just sufflcient in depth to receive the backs of the staples, so that when the parts are in place, as shown in the drawings, the staples cannot pos sibly move in any direction, and consequently the baffle cannot be pulled away from the valve seat ring. In the drawings I have shown two of these staples; but a greater number may be used, if desired.

H is a pendent strut the upper end of which is loosely connected to the bafile and the lower end of which is free to swing in any direction and is in close proximityto the top of the valve when the bottle is in upright position. The means shown in the drawings forsecuring this strut to the baffle is a staple h, passing through a perforation in the upper end of the strut and 7 having its legs secured to a plate h, which is sprung into place within the baifle. It will be seen that until the bottle is tipped to such position that the lower end of the strut is no longer opposite the top of the valve it will be impossible for the valve to move away from its seat, and hence it follows that While the bottle is in upright position it will not be possible to throw the valve from its seat by chucking itin the manner already described.

Located below the valve -seat ring is. a weight I, which is connected to the valve by means of a flexible ligament J, preferably a silken strand. This weight I prefer to construct of a glass disk i, having a central perforation, through which passes and in which is secured a hollow stem 42, preferably of alumiuium, and a float t', preferably a piece of cork, arranged upon the under side of the disk 2' and having in its top side a hole or socket, in which the lower end of the stem 2" fits, the float being perforated and the ligament J being passed through the hollow stem 2" and the perforation of the float and knotted on the under side, as shown at j. The ligament J is of such length that when the bottle is tipped to a sufficient extent the stem iwill come in contact with an annular flange or projection B, which extends downward from the under side of the valve-seat ring, and without the floating feature of the weight the valve would not unseat until the bottle is tipped to such position that the center of gravity of the weight passed its point of bearing upon the projection B. This would be objectionable, because it would postpone the unseating of the valve until the bottle had almost reached a vertical position. To hasten the unseating of the valve is the object of the floating feature of the weight, and by reason of it when the float is submerged a certain distance its buoyancy will cause itto move the weight up against the bottom of the flange B, as indicated by dotted lines, and thereby permit the valve to fall away from itsseat. The float is not, however, of suflicient buoyancy to float the weight,considered as a whole, but only of sufficient buoyancy to aid its movement from the position shown byfull lines in Fig. 2 to the position indicated by dotted lines.

Having thus described .my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a bottle having within its neck a circumferential grooveand a stopper having a corresponding groove, of

an open metallic spring-ring occupying the groove of the stopper, and an elastic ring surrounding the spring-ring and projecting into the groove in the neck of the bottle, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a bottle having within its neck a circumferential groove and a stopper having a corresponding groove, of an open metallic spring-ring of approximately semicircular shape in cross-section occupying the groove of the stopper, and an elastic ring surrounding and fitting in the spring-ring and projecting into the groove in the neck of the bottle, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a bottle, of a stopper having, in combination, a valve, a valveseat ring having an annular flange extending upward therefrom and fitting the neckof the bottle, a baffle having an annular flange extending downward therefrom and fitting the neck of the bottle, oppositely-located perforations formed in said flanges, and staples each having one of its legs fitting in a perforation of one of the flanges and its other leg fitting in a perforation of the other flange, said flanges being grooved to receive the back of the staple, substantially as set forth.

4. In abottle-stopper, the combination with a valve, of a strut arranged above it, means by which the upper end of the strut is loosely supported so as to permit its lower end to swing freely in all directions, and means for positively preventing any upward endwise movement of the strut, the lower end of the strut 'being in close proximity to the top of the valve, substantially as set forth.

5. In a stopper the combination with a valve and a valve-seat, of a fixed baffle arranged above the valve for preventing access thereto, and a strut having its upper end loosely connected to said baffle so that its lower end is free to swing in all directions, the lower end of the strut being in proximity to the top of the valve, and the strut being prevented by the fixed baffle from moving upward, substantially as set forth.

6. In astopper, the combination of a valveseat, a valve located above it, a weight located below it, means connecting the valve and weight, and a float secured toithe weight, the weight and float combined being slightly heavier than the liquid that they displace substantially as set forth.

7. In a bottle-stopper the combination of a valve-seat, a valve arranged above it,a weight arranged below it, a flexible ligament connecting the valve and weight, and a float connected to the weight, the weight and float combined being slightly heavier than the liquid which they displace, substantially as set forth.

8. In abottle-stopper, the combination of a valve-seat, a valve located above it, a weight located below it, means connecting the valve and weight, and a float secured to the under side of the weight, the weight and float combined being slightly heavier than the liquid which they displace, substantially as set forth.

9. In a bottle-stopper, the combination of a valve-seat, a valve arranged above it, a weight arranged below it, and having a rigid stem projecting upward, a. flexible ligament connecting the upper end of said stem and the valve, an annular bearing for the stem, and a float secured to the weight, the weight and float combined being slightly heavier than the liquid which they displace, substantially as set forth.

FRANK T. ROBINSON.

Witnesses: L. M. HOPKINS, S. E. SHARON. 

